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<C M4>
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<M 1420-1500>
<K CONTEMP>
<D EML>
<V PROSE>
<T SERMON>
<G X>
<F X>
<W X>
<X MALE>
<Y 40-60>
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[^CAPGRAVE, JOHN.
TEXT:  CAPGRAVE'S SERMON.
JOHN CAPGRAVE'S LIVES OF ST. AUGUSTINE AND
ST. GILBERT OF SEMPRINGHAM, AND A SERMON.
EARLY ENGLISH TEXT SOCIETY, O.S. 140.
ED. J. J. MUNRO.
NEW YORK, 1971 (1910).
PP. 143.1 - 148.28^]

<P 143>
[} [\A TREATISE OF THE ORDERS UNDER THE
RULE OF ST. AUGUSTINE
FROM A SERMON PREACHED BY JOHN CAPGRAVE
AT CAMBRIDGE IN 1422.\] }] 

<P 145>
   And here begynnyth a tretis of tho orderes +tat be
vndyr +te reule of oure fader Seynt Augustin, drawe oute
of a sermon seyd be frer Ion Capgraue at Cambrige,
+te +gere of our Lord a M cccc xxij.

   We may likne our fader Seynt Augustyn on-to +te holy
patriark Iacob for many causes. On is for interpretacion
of his name, for Iacob is as mech to say as a supplanter
or a deceyuour, for he, at +te comaundment of God, supplanted   #
his
bro+tir, bying his fader blessing for a mese of potage and      #
aftirward
apperyng to his fader in Esaues cote. So may our blessid fader
Augustyn be cleped a supplanter of +te Deuel, for whan +te same
Deuel ha hold him in his seruyse xxx +gere, +tan ran he fro +te
Deuel and took up-one him +te swete +gok of our Lord Ihesu      #
Crist.
For xxj +gere was he in paganite, and ix +gere in +te heresie   #
of +te
Manychees. He may be cleped Iacob also, for euene as Iacob
sey our Lord God fas to fas, so our maystir, with secret        #
contemplacion,
was as ny God as ony erdely man myte be, as may be
wel perceyued be +te labour whech he had in inuestigacion of    #
+te
godhed in +te bokes whech he mad of +te Trynyte. This Iacob
had xij sones, to whom all +te lond of byhest was distribute    #
and
departed be Moyses & Iosue. And +tis Augustin hath xij          #
religious
cumpanies, be whech xij all holy cherch her in erde is          #
replecchid.
We wil at +tis tyme on-to +gour deuoute eres open +tese Hebrew
names of +tese xij tribus, and referr hem to dyuers religions   #
whech
lyue vndir Seynt Austyn reule.
   The first be-goten child hite Iudas. For Iudas is as mech
to sey as a preyser, and +tese men preise God nyte & day in     #
holy
songis & ympnis whech +tei continuely be vsed too. And +tis
<P 146>
Iudas eke may be referred on-to +too heremites +tat Seynt       #
Augustin
mad ny iij +gere be-for +tat he was bischop at Ypone, and mad   #
+tere
chanones. This mater is proued with grete euydens in +te book
whech I mad to a gentil woman in Englisch, and in +te book      #
whech
I mad to +te abbot of Seynt Iames at Norhampton in Latin, whech
boke I named Concordia, be-cause it is mad to reforme charite
be-twix Seynt Augustines heremites and his chanones. In +tese
same bokes may men se +te names of +te first faderes of +tis    #
order of
heremites, whech heremites Simplician sent wit+g Augustin on-to
Affrik.
   The second child of +tis Iacob, he hite Ruben, and +tis      #
Ruben is
referred on-to chanones seculer swech as be in cathedral        #
cherchis.
For Ruben is as mech to sey as seing in +te myddis, or seing    #
be +te
myddis. What schal we calle bettir +te myddis +tan +tis present
lif? What was be-for +tis lif ordeyned for us is on-knowe. What
we schal haue aftir +tis lif it is in doute, saue we hope       #
veryly, be +te
good menes of +tis myd lif, to come sumtyme to Goddis mercy.
But men wil merueyle perauentur whi +tat I sette seculer        #
chanones
be-for reguler, and +tis [{is{] my cause. Thoo chanones +tat    #
dwelled
with Seynt Augustin whan he was bischop went in clo+tis of      #
dyuers
colouris and in precious furres and with girdel & barres of     #
syluer
and gilt, as is manifestly writyn in his sermones, (\Ad         #
fratres in
heremo\) , and +tis aray long not to reguler chanones.
   The +tird son of Iacob he hite Gad, and his name is as mech  #
to
sey as a man +tat is wel girt. Girdyng in holy scriptur is take
for restreynyng of our body fro uices, and +tis may be applied  #
in
+te best maner to chanones reguler, whech, with holy            #
obseruaunces
girdyn her bodies fro sinful werkis & here soules fro foule     #
desires.
If +tese men be-gunne with Augustin in his cherch in +te same
degre as +tei stand now, sum men haue doute; but I wyl not
stryue. I be-leue wel +tat +tere had +tei her beginnyng but +te
harder distinccion fro +te first ordr was mad sithe be o+tir    #
holy
faderes, as +te munkis of Charturehous cam oute of +te blake
ordr. Many euydens haue I mad in my book Concordia +tat
<P 147>
Seint Ruffus not be-gan +tis ordr, but +tat he reformed +tis    #
ordre.
So may I wel be-leue +tat her first fundacion cam fro Augustin.
   The iiij son of Iacob, he hite Aser. Aser is as mech to sei
as blessed, and +tis blessing is referred to +te grete noumbir  #
of +tat
holy congregacion whech Seynt Dominice gadered and ordeyned,
to +tis entent, +tat +tei schuld labour in +te world and with   #
here
preching distroy synne in +te puple and plant vertue. This      #
ordre
be-gan Seyn Dominice +te +ger of oure Lord a M cc xvj.
   The v. son of Iacob hite Neptalim, as mech for to sey as
gret brede; be +tis vndirstund we +te knytes of Seynt Ion whech
begunne first at Ierusalem, and now ar +tei spred +torw-oute    #
all +tis
world. Her institucion is to defende Cristen feith a-geyn       #
Turkes
and Sarsines. And all +too possessiones whech +tei haue in      #
londis
of pees pay tribute to +te hous of Rodes.
   The sext son hite Manasse, and he is for [{to{] sey as       #
obliuious.
This son be-tokneth +te heres of Pruce whech wer institute to   #
+te
same entent to defense of +te bordures of cristen men a-geyn    #
+te
enmyes of +te crosse. Obliuious be +tei cleped be-cause +tei    #
must
for+gete +te delectable lyf of +tis world and put her bodies    #
in grete
perel for +te honour of Crist. The differens of +te habite of   #
+tese
too knytes is +tis, +tat +tei of Seynt Iones haue blak mantell  #
with
a crosse, and +tei of Pruce white mantell with a crosse.
   The vij son of Iacob, he hite Simeon, whech soundith in our
tonge heuynesse or pencifnesse, and +tis may be applied with    #
grete
conueniens on-to +tat ordre +tat was founded at Sempyngham be
+te solicitude of Seynt Gilbert, of whech Seynt, be-cause I mad
a special tretis on-to +te maystir of +tat ordr, +terfor in     #
+tis place
I touch no mor of him.
   The viij son of Iacob, he hite Leui, +tat soundeth in owre
langage a moryng or a multipliyng of +ting +tat was be-gunne,
and be +tis name we vndirstande +te ordr of Premonstracenses,
whech be-gan in Fraunce vndir a holy man +tei cleped Norbertus,
+te +ger of our Lord a M and a hundred, and be-cause +tat I mad
his lyf in Englisch to +te abbot of Derham +tat deyid last,     #
+terfor as
now I wil no lenger tarie in +tat fundacion.
   The ix son of Iacob, he hite Ysacar; he soundeth in our
<P 148>
langage grete mede for laboure; +tis wil we applie to +tat      #
ordre
whech +tei clepe +te Freres of +te Crosse, for +tis cause, for  #
+tat
crosse on her breest schul make hem so to labour in +te weye of
Crist +tat +tei schuld come aftir her labour to euyrlasting     #
mede.
Off +tis ordre haue I as +get no certeyn knowlech, who was her
foundor, or vndir what Pope, or kyng, +tei be-gunne.
   The x son of Iacob, he hite +gabulon, and in our langage it
may be cleped a dwellyng-place of strength. Ful wel longith     #
+tis
interpretacion on-to +te ordr of Seynt Bryde; +tei haue a       #
mansion
of strength, for +tei be sperd fro vanites of +te world, whech  #
vanytes
ar ouyr open to many men. This holy woman Bryde be-gan +tis
order and went to Rome for confirmacion; who wil se hir lyf and
hir reuelaciones he may diffusely se it in hir book, as now I   #
haue
no tyme to tary lenger in +tat mater.
   The xj son hite Ioseph, and he is to sey a moring or         #
augmentacion;
+tis is applied to certeyn chanones of +tat hous whech be
of +te ordr of Seynt Victor. This hous of Seynt Victour is in
Paris, to whech I trowe +tei longe. We haue in our libraries    #
many
sundry bookes +tat to chanones of +tat hous mad; on of hem hite
Hewe, +te o+tir hite Richard, notabel clerkis +tei wer and men  #
of
holy lyf.
   The xij son hite Beniamin; he is +te son +tat longith to     #
+te rite
hand, as euery religious man with +te mercy of God doth. This
son, be-cause he is +gongest of age, is likned on-to an ordre   #
whech
is not in +te world, as +tei sey, but in Northfolk. Four        #
houses had
+tei and on of hem is fall on-to +te kyngis hand, & he gaue it  #
to
Walsingham; +te hous hite Petirston: o+ter informacion of hem
haue I not at +tis tyme.



